


If We Stay Stagnant

by not_quite_a_pencil



Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fem Zero, Genderbending, Genderswap, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mystery, OC, Original Male Character - Freeform, Romance, female Zero
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-07-14 09:17:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16037489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_quite_a_pencil/pseuds/not_quite_a_pencil
Summary: Raising a child alone is a challenge, and Zero is glad to get any help she can while Kaname is ready to take on the duties of the hunter's late husband. And while everything seems alright on the surface, there are important pieces missing, if only Zero could figure out what was. Set six years after the events at Cross Academy.





	1. Chapter 1

Strong, calloused hands placed the swaddled bundle down on its plush bed, trying to be as gentle as possible to prevent the two month old child from waking up. With a feather like touch, the mother brushed a soft strand of chocolate hair out of the infant’s face and offered a small smile as her son shifted slightly. 

Taking a minute to ensure that the baby monitor was on and working, the young woman exited the nursery. Once the door was closed without a sound, the silverette felt like she could finally breathe. Running a hand through her short cropped hair, the hunter thought back to when she first brought her Ryuu home. It had been a real struggle, suddenly going from having a caring husband acting as a strong support to being a single mother who hasn’t even gotten a chance to grieve the death of the man that she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, and raise a family with. But Zero knows that life doesn’t always work out that way and she can’t control irresponsible people driving drunk.  
Despite the resent life altering tragedy, the hunter seemed to be coping rather well. There were a good few people in her life that were willing to help her, to be her support and reason for moving forward. They kept Zero grounded and stable as she fumbled to balance being a mother, Level D and working hunter for the Association. The most prevalent people were her adoptive sister and father, her former Master Yagari, and strangely enough, the pureblood Kaname Kuran.

That fact itself was something that still shocked the ex-human greatly but they were no longer young and stubborn, having graduated from Cross Academy six years ago and everyone had grown and matured, for the most part.

Zero still didn’t believe there was any hope for Aido. 

But thinking back the Zero she was back at the Academy would probably shoot the present silverette, thinking that she had lost her mind. Sure she was a successful and well paid vampire hunter, something she had always dreamed of, was able to find a deep motherly love for her son, had a nice two bedroom apartment and friends that were dear to her.  
The thoughts of her friends brought the athletic woman back to the present, seeing as one was still waiting for her in the kitchen with a meal that was surely starting to get cold.  
Being sure to be silent, waking up Ryuu would be something detrimental to the tired parent, Zero eased her way out of the hallway, through the living room and into the kitchen where her guest was waiting for her with a gentle smile adorning his handsome face. 

“Is he finally asleep?” The deep baritone questioned as the hunter plopped herself down in one of the chairs that surrounded the rounded kitchen table. 

The hunter nodded quickly before scooping a large bite of the beef and vegetable stew that she had put in the slow cooker early in the morning. “We should have a four hours before he wakes up for another feeding.” Looking at her companion as he offered an acknowledging nod before dipping his own utensil into the meal Zero had provided in exchange for the pureblood prince helping out with Ryuu for the first part of the night while she was out on an assignment from the Hunter Association to destroy some Level E’s in a nearby town. The brunette had only changed slightly over the years, his handsome face shifting to get rid of the last traces of boyish charm that had been clinging during their years in school. The vampire that sat across from her now was a man, someone she considered her equal now even though he was something that she had fundamentally hated. But with her pregnancy and the birth of her son, Kaname had been their when her late husband could not, walking her through what had happened to his mother when she was pregnant with Yuuki and filling her in on things anyone raising a young child with vampire blood running through their veins.

“That’s good.” The pureblood commented between bites of stew, enjoying the good flavors that the silverette had created for them to share. “He was pretty anxious earlier, maybe he knew were you were out hunting.” Throughout their years Zero had changed greatly in comparison to the prince. When the brunette had first met the silverette he had mistaken her for a small boy when she had stabbed him with a kitchen knife, only to be surprised when Chairman Cross had scolded his ‘daughter’ for being so violent. During their years at the Academy the former prefect had taken on a tomboy persona, refusing to wear the girl’s uniform in favor of the panted boy version, claiming that she was more comfortable and could move easier. That fact making the pureblood regret not enforcing the correct uniform more. So that couples with her silver hair being chopped short with pair of scissors herself made many people think she was just a pretty boy. Now the boyish teen has bloomed into a glowing woman that had the happiness in her crystalline eyes that only a mother does, the stunning hair was still kept short for convenience with her busy lifestyle but it had a distinct feminine style to it. Of course she had developed well over the years, growing from the flat chested and boyish figure to a shapely woman with strong muscles and a well-rounded chest hidden beneath her pale grey cotton button down. One of the biggest differences was the smile that Zero was now willing to give to those she considered close, the people she wanted to protect and cherish.

“Pfft. He’s only two months old, sure he’d know I’m not there but I doubt he realizes I hunt bloodsuckers.” The mother laughed slightly. Looking up Zero saw Kaname had stopped eating, his right hand holding onto the silver spoon as he gave her a disapproving look.

“What! They were all Level E’s! They were the definition of bloodsuckers, it’s not like I call you that anymore.” Zero scoffed, not worried about offending her companion. 

“Liar.” The Kuran heir pointed spoon at the silverette in an accusing manner. “I believed you said ‘See ya later bloodsucker’ before leaving.” 

“Well you can handle it.” And with that the two went back to their meal, paring it with a comfortable and teasing conversation.  
\---------------------  
Taking a brief moment to embrace before separating, Zero offered a small and tired smile to the brunette. “Really Kaname, thank you for covering for me tonight. The Association sprung that emergency mission on me and no one could watch Ryuu, and I know you’re busy with your whole pureblood thing-“

The man cut Zero short with a gentle hand on her strong shoulder. “Please Zero, anytime you need me to watch Ryuu I’ll be there.” At his steady words the hunter couldn’t hold in the larger grin that bloomed on her face. The endearing expression overtook the brunette’s sense of logic as he leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. “I mean it. Anytime Zero.” And with that the charming man was out the front door and into the early morning, disappearing in the palest light with the door shutting behind him. 

Reaching up a battle worn hand to touch where Kaname’s soft lips had grazed her forehead, taking a moment to feel the fluttering of her heart. Brushing off the emotional glow that had fogged her mind over, the hunter wandered through her apartment while fiddling with the golden ring on her left hand. Lilac eyes drifted to the small series of framed photos, only four in total. One of her original family, her parents and beloved little brother before everything was torn apart. The next featuring a slightly older Zero with her adoptive family on Yuuki’s birthday, the female brunette’s smile lighting up the room. The one to the right of that showed most of the Night Class, the two prefects, the Chairman and Yagari at their graduation, all with polite smiles to hide the uncertainty of the future. 

The last was one the silverette was strangely fond of even though it showed her in an unflattering light. The hunter was over six months pregnant, with longer hair that then reached just passed her shoulders was thrown up in a messy tangled bun, there were dark circles under her violet eyes from being ill with morning sickness, reclining on a couch covering in plush pillows. Despite having felt horrid all day the exhuman could only smile up at the man behind the camera because it was a moment when the fact that Zero and her husband were creating a life, and they were excited about it.

Eyes shifting to glance at the small watch on a pale wrist, Zero decided it would be best to try and get some sleep before Ryuu had to wake up again for another feeding in a couple hours. So keeping her focus on the task at hand.

With naturally silent footsteps, the went through her nightly routine, brushing her teeth thoroughly with the only toothbrush in the bathroom attached to the master bedroom, checking the baby monitor one last time before opening the door to the one closet that was filled with her clothes, shoes and miscellaneous weapons to grab a fresh night shirt. Then with a tired sigh Zero pulled back the cottony white covers to snuggle up with the sole pillow before drifting into a strange but easy sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

“Yeah, Ryuu really likes the new toys you sent him.” The silverette commented absentmindedly into her black cellphone as she walked through the hallways to the Hunter Association, her flat work boots silent against the cool tile of the headquarters. 

The Headmaster of Cross Academy was constantly sending presents to the growing baby and found that the child reaching six months of age was the perfect opportunity to spoil the boy even more.

“Mhm.” 

Headmaster Cross was rambling on about how adorable his grandson was and that he wished that it was a holiday so he could leave the school to visit his ‘darling children’. After listening to her adoptive father ramble on for a few more minutes the woman made up an excuse about work before hanging up, much to the Chairman’s dismay.

With a deep breath and a roll of tense shoulders the hunter pushed open one of the doors to the assignment office of Hunter’s Association. There were various hunters that the silverette had seen throughout her career, some she had even worked with over the years, scattered about the large office room.

Staying as anti-social as she did in her younger years, Zero simply breezed through office towards a metal desk that housed a familiar face. “Back so soon?” The man with one side of his deep brown hair shaved close to his head while the other side fell into young curls greeted his particular friend, offering a bright smile when the Kiryuu heir marched up to his desk and grunted in response to his cheery hello. “Really is that all I get? Not a ‘Hello Ale, how was your day? Slaving away trying to keep the Association from falling to piece?’” Bright blue eyes sparkled as the man rested his elbow on his desk, the palm of his hand cupping his slight face, causing the jacket of his blue suit to rumple lightly with his movements. 

“Hey.” The hunter conceded as she shifted her weight from leg to leg, a subconscious habit from spending so many hours holding and rocking Ryuu in the late hours of the evening. “Anything good yet?” The female inquired about any assignments that were ready for the taking, preferably that wouldn’t take the professional hunter more than a few hours to complete. Ryuu was with the silverette’s adoptive sister and she didn’t trust that the former human could keep both herself and a small child out of trouble for an extended period of time.

“Other than my good looks?” He joked, smile only growing larger before disappearing into an uncomfortable cough into a closed fist at the low growl Zero emitted. “Well okay then sourpuss.” Ale shuffled through some request paper’s that were stacked in an uneven pile, giving each page a quick glance. “There’s a noble that has put in a request for a bodyguard for his diplomatic travels, preferably female, that needs to be taken care of. The pay is pretty good, damned good actually but it’s a two week assignment.” 

Sparing a glance at the glaring woman before clearing his throat. “So I’ll take that as a no. Same for the Italy mission as well.” Long fingers feathered through the papers once more before letting out a pleased hum. “Ohh, there’s been reports of Level E’s gathering at the southern docks. That shouldn’t take very long for a hunter of your caliber.” Without waiting for any response the brunette man offered the report to the hunter, knowing that this mission would be right up the ex-human’s alley. Taking the sheet and scanning the information on it briefly Zero nodded before departing without a word, leaving back through the doors she came through.

-

The mission itself was straightforward enough, investigate any activity and eliminate any threats that arise. Or at least that’s what it should’ve been until one of the crazed bloodsuckers got a lucky shot in before she put a bullet through his head. The fact that one of the fuckers not only managed claw into the flesh directly above her knee, but that it had ripped right through her favorite work pants. 

Heaving out a tired sigh Zero pushed open the door to her apartment, a small bubble of excitement forming in her stomach at the thought of seeing her baby Ryuu after leaving him with his Aunt Yuuki for a few hours. 

“Zero??” A shrill voice called out, the nervous anxiety in Yuuki’s voice made Zero panic as she rushed into the nursery to find her adoptive sister sitting on the carpeted floor holding a flushed and writhing Ryuu tightly in her arms with fresh tears running down her face. 

“Ryuu!” The silverette’s voice cracked as she fell to the floor, her own bleeding injury forgotten as reached out for her child, feeling the boiling temperature of his flesh. “Yuuki what happened?”

“I, I don’t know! He was napping and I, I came to check on him and, oh GOD Zero! I’m so sorry.” Yuuki blubbered, nervous hands wringing together. “What should we do?!”   
Lilac eyes were trained on the sixth month old child’s red face while far too soft wails came from his usually strong lungs. Years of being a professional hunter and being in numerous tough situation could not prepare Zero for the raw panic that flooded her veins as her ears were pounded with the sound of her erratic heart rate. “We have to go, find a doctor.” Her usually strong and determined voice shook with the raw emotion that was causing her eye’s to water.

Holding her son gently to her chest, the hunter tried her best to put on a brave face for her adoptive sister. “We have to go to the hospital.” Sending a commanding glance to the pureblooded princess the hunter barked orders. “Get up Yuuki, we can’t fuck around! Call your brother, tell him to meet us at the Emergency Room.” Wiping her moist eyes on her sleeve, the princess quickly followed her childhood friend as she raced out the door. 

-

Yuuki was fidgeting nonstop in the waiting room in the children’s hospital. Ryuu had been immediately taken into the Emergency Room. There several nurses had to hold Zero back from following her son and letting loose a string of curses that no child should ever hear. 

So now the new mother sat next to the brunette, arms crossed and holding almost completely still, she was barely breathing. The only movement any onlooker could see was the sharp violet eyes constantly moving from the directly ahead to the analog clock on the wall before moving to the other side again in a constant and unnerving cycle. 

After half an hour of stressful silence the ex-human stood up abruptly, stepping silently out the room, wandering aimlessly through the halls of the hospital, trying to ignore the countless pictures of children’s drawings and book characters that littered the walls. The silverette had to bite her lip with a bruising force to hold back the tears as she recognized a few of the characters from the children books that she had read to Ryuu as he fell asleep. The hunter didn’t know how long or how far she walked before a familiar voice called out to her.

“Zero!”

Turning slowly on her heels, the frantic mother found the concerned eyes of her old, friend. Kaname’s long strides brought his calming sent to Zero’s senses quickly as he grasped her hand, his smooth thumb rubbing softly on her bruised palm. “Zero, I heard from Yuuki. How’s Ryuu?”

Tired eyes slowly tore themselves away from the pureblood prince and drifted to the floor. “I don’t know…” Her voice was soft and cracking, teeth biting the inside of her cheek. “He was fine when I left this evening but then, oh God, Kaname I don’t know.” Her eyes filled with tears that began to roll down her cheeks for the first time as the undefeatable hunter crumbled, her unoccupied hand reaching up to wipe her eyes, “I’m his mother! I should know how to fix this but I don’t know!” The silverette hiccupped as she spoke, tears coming freely now down her red face. “Kana, what am I going to do? What if he isn’t okay?”

In the blink of an eye the brunette yanked the woman close to his chest, her ear finding his frantic heartbeat. “Don’t say that. Everything is going to be fine. Ryuu is going to be fine, and then we can be together again.” Kaname’s strange words didn’t register in Zero’s mind other than the comfort they offered as the two sunk to the floor in the abandoned hallway in the early hours of the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn’t until the late morning that the doctor came out to check on the parents and inform them of the state Ryuu. By then the pureblood and the hunter had moved back to the waiting room, Yuuki left to fetch the group some coffee from the cafeteria downstairs.

When the doctor, an experienced man with salt and pepper hair and a stern face, came into the room calling for a Mrs. Kiryuu it took all of the hunter’s self-control to not practically pounce on the defenseless doctor in her desperation to know about her son.

“Young Master Ryuu fought impeccably and just broke his fever.” The doctor placed a reassuring hand on the young mother’s tense shoulders. “He’s definitely exhausted but this event was not life threatening.”

A breath of relief sighed through the empty waiting room and Kaname could practically see the relief come off the silverette in waves.

“That’s good, that’s good.” The hunter whispered with a strained breathe. Her hands gathered at waist height as she began fiddling with the wedding band on her left hand. “So do you have any idea what could’ve caused this? What made him so sick?”

Placing steady hands in the pockets of his crisp white jacket the doctor eyed the couple of vampires carefully. “It’s an interesting case as his blood is almost fighting itself.” At that moment Kaname slid behind the woman, throwing a comforting arm across her shoulder as he listened to the doctor.

“What do you mean Doctor?”

“Simply that until he grows and matures a bit it’s likely that he’ll has a few more of these intense fevers over the years, there’s no real way to predict when or what triggers them.” As he the good doctor spoke a mixed feeling of dread and relief seeped into the bones of hunter. “If the next incidents are anything like this than he’ll be fine, generally the mixing of vampire blood in a child would be a bit more troubling but be thankful for his pureblood otherwise he would be sick for weeks rather than hours.”

What? No, that’s not right. “Ryuu doesn’t have any pureblood.” Kiryuu explained, sure that the doctor was mistaken, no doubt in her mind as she corrected him. “My husband was a human, more than anything Ryuu would have hunter blood. Sure there’s some vampire in there somewhere, but he’s a hunter child, there’s no doubt.” The hunter concluded confidently, feeling oddly defensive about this mistake. Maybe it was because of the stressful events of the previous handful of hours.

Falling into the background Kuran felt a sense of dread and guilt at the mention of pureblood, knowing that this wasn’t going to end well. When he started this charade he know it wouldn’t end well but he had let himself hope that this plan, ridiculous as it may seem, would be the best for everyone. Even if it meant that he would remain alone.

With a quirked eyebrow the doctor began to express annoyance at the blatant disregard for fact, barely registering the strange presence coming off of the vampire king. “Mrs. Kiryuu, why there is influence of a strong hunter bloodline, there is almost nothing human about your child and what is left is in the process of being overgrown by pureblood. He may grow up with hunter abilities and heritage but he will grow and mature to be a pureblood vampire, there is no denying that.”

“Listen her doc,” The woman growled, face dipping into a scowl as irritation took over. “There’s none of that pure leech blood in my son, my husband was human. Straight up human, not even a hunter, he didn’t even know about vamp-“ did he know anything about bloodsuckers? He must of, married to a hunter and a vampire. There’s no way he wouldn’t. But the memory of her husband was foggy, almost like it was trying to reach into deep waters, distorted and far away, something better to be left alone. Don’t think about it. That’s not important right now. “ires.” Despite her programmed thought process to not think about her late husband, unless she lets feelings of melancholy and depression take over her mind, the last Kiryuu couldn’t help but try to grasp onto any details about her late husband.

“Regardless,” The doctor was clearly done with trying to convince the distraught and confused mother about undeniable facts after an entirely too long shift at the hospital. “your son’s blood is starting the shift into vampirism, but any abilities won’t appear until he matures and grows a bit. On average any substantial signs of pureblood powers take a couple years to appear.” The mother bristled again at the mention of pureblood. “We plan on keeping him for the rest of the day, keep him under surveillance even though he is no longer at risk, just to be sure. There will a nurse to bring you two in to see him in a few minutes along with some paperwork and documentation.”

With that the doctor left the waiting room and the two parents in favor of doing something a bit more productive.

Zero stood still in disbelief and confusion, not fully processing how this conclusion about her son could be reached. In contrast Kaname, the bastard that always knew what was going on, just stood there not touching the hunter he cared so much for knowing that now was not the time when she was so volatile.

Despite her best efforts to assure herself of the facts that she know; her husband was human, she was a hunter, despite her vampire condition Ryuu would maintain mostly hunter blood. He should barely be affected by any of her vampire characteristics. Especially because Ryuu took mostly after his father, hell if she didn’t carry him she wouldn’t be sure that he was her son. His nose was hers though, but his little tufts of chocolate hair was so much like his father’s, the ears too. Of course as he starts to grow a bit more details will show up but a mother knows her child and she’ll bet her gun that Ryuu will be as beautiful as his father, a real spitting image.

But what exactly did his father look like? When did they meet? Why doesn’t she remember these things about the man that was supposed to be the father of her child?!

Panic began to set in and the hunter turned to her friend in hopes that he knew the answer, Kaname that sneaky bastard always knew what was going on. But when she looked into those deep brown eyes and saw that genuine sadness and deep rooted loneliness there and something clicked into place.

“You.” She breathed in disbelief. Kaname Kuran.

“You,” Her voice grew as the pureblood almost seemed to shrink. “you FUCKING BASTARD!”

One thought rang through the pureblod’s mind at the sight of the enraged woman. ‘Oh fuck.’


	4. Chapter 4

After the puzzle pieces fell into place a flood of memories took over the silver hunter’s consciousness. In a matter of seconds, months crashed down clearing the fog that Zero didn’t even realize had set in. 

Almost a year ago, when she and Kaname were in an unsteady relationship, they were together physically but the difference in their social standings were too great and their worlds too different for them to go public with their relationship so the decision was to keep everything free of any actual feelings. But over the months of their time together, of tender moments and sweet words that leaked out despite the pair trying their hardest to ignore any feelings, the two got immensely attached.   
And there was the missed menstrual cycle, then talks of the future, the long nights of sickness and comfort, and then a pair of rings. 

Both of them were simple, gold and pristine bands that fit snuggly on their ring fingers. She remembered looking at the rings, thinking of their future and how loved Ryuu would be, looking up at her husband to be, looking up at Kuran.

Kaname.

She was going to marry a bloodsucker. Fuck, he was the most important bloodsucker of them all. Kaname Kuran was a modern day king of an ancient underground society, hidden from the view of the human world and everything that she had vowed to guard humanity against.

But that didn’t matter, because in the years since Cross Academy Zero had come to an important conclusion. Kaname Kuran was not a good man, but he was honest with her simply for the fact that she didn’t want anything from him. Fuck, she could barely stop herself from shooting him on a daily basis during school. 

Or he was honest.

Until Ryuu was born and then her world had been glossed over with fake memories that were implanted by the man she loved to erase that affection.   
Kaname erased himself from the narrative.

But why? Despite the importance of that question it was glossed over in favor of a swarm of emotions that overtook the silver haired hunter’s consciousness in a matter of seconds.  
In this flood of anger, hurt, frustration and others she can’t dissect at the moment, a distasteful string of curses flooded out. There was no mental censor that was in use as Zero spilled whatever came to mind, whatever feelings came up would pour out of her mouth in an attempt to hurt the man that had left her. 

She realizes that no, Kaname never left her side. He was there throughout the pregnancy, he was there for the birth, and even though she didn’t remember what they had, he had been there after he was born to help take care of Ryuu when she was exhausted or had to take on a hunt that was longer than expected. He would show up with gifts for her son, their son, he would show up to just spend time with his separated family even though he was a busy man with the lives of so many resting on his shoulders.  
He never left her to raise Ryuu alone, but that doesn’t make his actions justifiable. 

Over the next week, between memories resurfacing and bringing Ryuu home from the hospital, Zero barely left her apartment in favor of sorting through the thoughts and memories that had become so jumbled in her mind. Memories of her fake late husband, which were glossed over with a deep fog, cleared up and the originals would come into focus. The unused toothbrush that had sat next to hers for months, the abandoned pillow on his side of the bed that she couldn’t stand to put away in the linen closets with the rest of the bedding. There was a stylized mug that sat in her kitchen cabinets that she never used, never had the desire to use, and always questioned its presence but brushed it off as something that just ended up in her home, as things just tend to pop up sometimes. Now, though, she realizes that mug was his, it was his favorite mug that he would use to drink coffee when he’s home, almost never complaining about the quality of the common instant coffee.

And when he did complain it was always followed up with a subtle invitation for her to move into the Kuran Manor, or maybe for them to get a more city centered penthouse somewhere. Ultimately she would brush off the invitation as something he would just say, as partners do, with no real feeling behind it. 

Because she never took Kaname’s affections completely seriously, they started out as enemies and only became lovers in an effort to get along and satisfy their needs without any other attachments, with the intention that it wouldn’t heavily affect their existing relationship. The ring he gave was just to give them some sense of normalcy and responsibility in the wake of the pregnancy, not out of undying love and loyalty. She never valued Kaname as anything more than a lover, someone to fill the spot in her life that was left by the fact that she never thought she would have a family of her own, she thought he would eventually get bored or find someone a bit more suitable, or maybe the Vampire Council would find someone for Kaname to marry if only to produce an heir. 

Zero never understood that when Kaname was planning the long term, it actually included her.

And that’s what hurt the most.

She was so close to having the family she knew she wanted, something to truly love and protect, but something had changed and if she wanted it back then she’d have to go and get it herself.  
_______________________________

When Kaname received a call from Zero asking him to come over to her and Ryuu’s apartment he was honestly surprised. She had made it quite clear that she wasn’t interested in a life with him when Ryuu was born, and how she reacted at the hospital made him think she wouldn’t let him near her or their son ever again. But that wouldn’t stop him from swinging by and checking up on his family, as long as he stayed well hidden. 

Gunshots would probably wake their son up. 

But god did he miss the quiet dinners, the loving touches and soft smiles, even the late nights comforting Ryuu when he was extra fussy. He missed his family.   
While the pregnancy wasn’t exactly planned, it was a welcomed surprise, something that Kaname was secretly thanking whatever gods that would listen for a chance at something he never thought that he could have. He was too ancient, too far engrossed in ruling and managing the vampire world to truly be the family he desired, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t want to try. 

But it seemed like Zero didn’t share the same sentiments, so he fabricated an elaborate story featuring a fake husband who met his end too soon. This way his role as Yuuki’s brother would allow for him to still support his family even if he couldn’t truly be a part of it. 

Then Ryuu got sick and that doctor started to unravel the lies that he had strung together in Zero’s head and he couldn’t find it in himself to stop him. Because he couldn’t the lies anymore. Being so old, Kaname had been known to lie, to manipulate and corrupt, but as the years went on it got harder and harder to lie to the hunter that he had grown to love. He had loved others before; men, women, vampire and not, but Zero had wormed her way into his heart against his will and took it with her when she left. 

He knew what he did was wrong to do to someone he claimed to love, and now Zero knew it to. 

So standing outside the door to the apartment that he had spent so many nights in, there was a moment of hesitation before finally knocking. Entirely too soon the door opened to reveal Zero, standing there in the doorway clad in simple comfortable house pants and a t-shirt and it was took more willpower than Kaname was willing to admit to keep a smile off his face. Despite his actions he truly loved Zero and was so grateful that she was the mother of his child. 

“Are you coming in or not?” Zero sighed, almost no trace of her previous fury left in her voice. Almost.

She wouldn’t be Zero if she didn’t keep some of that passion. A thought that pushed a smile onto Kaname’s face.

“I’d prefer it, yes.” With that the hunter moved back inside, confident that the pureblood would shut the door behind her, and he did. 

Walking into the kitchen the two adults returned to the table where they had a quiet dinner not so many nights ago, silent tension permeating. “Coffee?” Zero asked, grabbing two mugs from the cabinet knowing the answer already. With a quick look around it was easy to assess that Ryuu must be asleep in the nursery, giving the two a chance to speak frankly without the distraction of their beloved son, given that he doesn’t start crying again.

“It’d be appreciated.” The pureblood responded, eyes trained on the simple red cup in her hand. His mug. 

A few more minutes passed, both of them grateful for the distraction, neither of them particularly looking forward to the conversation that was going to happen. Although that distraction only lasted so long as soon they were both sitting at the table, unsure of where to begin. 

Taking a small drink from his beverage Kaname decided there was no point waiting any longer. “So you’re still making the same instant coffee?” 

“Really? That’s what you’re starting out with?” Zero sighed, her head lolling to the side in exasperated defeat at Kaname’s antics. 

“Well you know there’s better coffee at the manor.” Kaname smiled, trying to establish a lighter mood. 

“And I’m not going to uproot my family for a man who’s barely my husband.” Zero responded in a manner so unlike her usual temperament, cold and calm, but there was a sense of familiarity that gave the pureblood a small bead of hope. And more important than hope, an opportunity.

“Barely, but still your husband.” He offered with a mirth-filled smirk. “Till death do us part and all that.” The brunette lifted his mug to his lips and took a drag of the simple coffee, his main intent to compose the smile that had sprung up without his permission.

“Or until I file divorce papers, dear husband.”

How unusual for Zero to catch the ever stagnant pureblood off-guard, to be able to stun him, make him pause and panic. Sure she can shoot him, has shot him, and that would tend to throw someone off during a conversation but Kaname has always ruled the conversation front with his vast intellect and all of that. 

After a fracture of a panicked moment the pureblood responded coolly. “And I would not stop you.” Then the man took a breath, looking as if he wanted to add something else.  
But I don’t want you to leave.

Another moment passed and Kaname began again, knowing that he owed his wife an apology. “I wouldn’t blame you either.” With a slow, reluctant, grace the man reached behind his head with both hands and undoing the clasp of a necklace that had been hidden beneath his dress shirt. “In my attempts to make your life, and Ryuu’s life, better I removed myself to limit unnecessary complications and in doing so I removed your choice in the matter. I cannot express how much I regret that moment of stupidity, and how long I went along with it, to missing out so much time with you and our son. If you decide that you love me no longer then I would not hold it against you.” He slowly set a golden chain down on the table, allowing for the hunter to get a good view of what was on it; a gold ring. A ring that matched the one that rested on her finger. “If you desire it I will leave our family, your family alone. I can’t promise that you would never see me again, due to our relationship with Yuuki and the nature of our work but the meaning is the same.” 

For the first time of the evening, in months now that Zero fully remembers the nature of their relationship, Kaname looks her in the eye with a cool composed face but he allows his honesty to show through his eyes. The same eyes that the silverette initially hated, the eyes of a vampire, but then her view of them shifted. Then they were the cold gaze of a begrudging gaze of an ally, someone with a similar goal that made them form a tentative peace agreement. Next they held a form of fondness of a friendship forged through adversity, the struggles of the world had pushed them together and there they stayed. Then the eyes of a lover, someone to fill the space that she wouldn’t live without, someone who knew of intense loneliness and mutually sought out some sort of reprieve. Lastly were the eyes of a spouse, someone she had sworn to love until her dying breath and maybe even beyond that, someone she had willingly conceived a child with and shared in the nervous excitement with. Those were the eyes of her husband. 

And fuck if she was ever going to forget them again.

With a frustrated huff the hunter shifted her weight in her chair, relaxing her stiff posture and resting her chin casually in the palm of her hand. “You’re such a dumbass Kaname.” She offered with another breathy huff, looking at her husband with exasperation. 

“Excuse me?”

On her left hand she fiddled with her own wedding band, spinning it slightly with her thumb as she assessed her ruffled spouse. “’Till death do us part’ Kaname. I mean it when we said our vows, even if it was just us in a room exchanging rings that was our wedding and I took it seriously. Just because I’m still pissed doesn’t mean I want a divorce, only that you have a lot of groveling to do.” Taking a moment to be serious she offered a small smile to her wide-eyed husband. “Just because I’m pissed doesn’t mean I love you any less.”

Then in the blink of an eye the pureblood was gone and suddenly wrapped around her in a suffocating embrace, stress of the past few months flooding out of both of them as they held each other. 

There is something to be said in the reuniting of two halves back into a single whole. To put it simply, it feels correct, like that is where they are supposed to be so that’s where they will stay. Half kneeling as the two held on to each amongst the overturned kitchen furniture, coffee spilt and cups shattered in their haste to make up for lost time, things felt right again. 

And Zero would never breathe a word about the wet spots on her shirt that she could feel seeping into the fabric. Of course, given that her spouse never mentions her own wet eyes. 

It’s possible that the two would’ve stayed there for hours if it wasn’t for the shrill cry of distress coming from the other room. Ryuu must’ve been woken up by the ruckus and the shift in mood was almost instantaneous as the two turned into parent mode.

Reluctantly separating, save for the hands that lingered on each other, as they stood and addressed the damage done to the kitchen. “I’ll go take care of Ryuu, you use your freaky pureblood magic and fix this.” The hunter said gesturing to the broken table as she walked out of the kitchen. 

Soothing Ryuu was usually a bit of a challenge and now was no different, but there was the advantage that he had just been fed and changed right before Kaname had come over so it was just a matter of calming him back down and getting him back to sleep. But that still took quite a bit of time before he would fall back into his newborn slumber. 

Within a few minutes Kaname had made his way into the nursery, placing a tentative and gentle hand on his wife’s shoulder as he peered over to gaze at his only son as he offered only simple gurgles and other strange noises in response. “Wide awake now huh?”

“Unfortunately.” Zero sighed as she continued a soft sway in hopes that their son would suddenly become very sleepy but experience telling her it would still be a while.

But looking up at her husband, feeling his warmth and support, they were a full family again. No more lies and false pretenses, just all three of them. And even though she was still mad at her spouse that didn’t mean she didn’t forgive him, because beyond the mistakes of man they still loved each other.

And if anyone asked if Zero leaned in when he did, if she kissed back in that tender moment.

She’d say yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of this piece and the first finished multi-chapter work I've done in years so I'm proud of that. Let me know what y'all thought and anything you might want to see!


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